Buses in the Land of my Grandfather … Clock
14 May 2022
ABOVE: Go North East 635 (NK61 FJP), on the AD122 route at Haltwhistle station, on Wednesday 4th May 2022
I am the proud owner of a Grandfather Clock, which is well over 100 years old and still keeps perfect time. It chimes every hour, day and night, and was made by Matthew Ord of Hexham, Northumberland, in the 19th Century.
It was probably bought by my Grandparents, who got married in nearby Brampton, Cumbria, in 1906, and lived up there until they moved to London in 1910. The clock might even have been in the family a generation earlier, as many of my ancestors lived in north-east England.
I haven’t found any evidence of the existence of the clockmaker in more recent times. A search online usually brings up examples of clocks like mine being offered for sale for significant sums of money. Mine was valued at £500 a few years ago. But the front piece of glass over the clock face is missing. This at least means that I don’t have to open the clock face door to wind the clock!
All of this is in my mind as I pass through Hexham, but it’s history of a more ancient and nationally-significant kind that sits behind my next bus ride.
I’m a few minutes late arriving into Hexham and am nervous about what has suddenly become a tight connection. I’m after Go North East‘s AD CXXII bus – sorry, I mean the AD122 – the Hadrian’s Wall Country Bus; a seasonal (April to October) tourist-based route that runs close to Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland.
Along the route there are Roman forts, a Roman Army Museum, archaeological sites, and The Wall itself (Pink Floyd / Danny Dyer not included). And of course, some beautiful scenery which makes the route an obvious haven for hikers.
Even on a Wednesday morning in term time, I’m expecting a busy service but, as my arriving bus pulls in, a couple of minutes before departure time, the AD122 is parked on the stand looking completely unloved – no sign of a driver and no sign of any intending passengers.
Two female German tourists and the bus driver all arrive at the stop just ahead of me. I recognise the tourists as they have just darted very close in front of my previous bus at the nearby traffic lights, as the traffic light has turned green. One of the tourists needs the essential facilities, which are available at this Bus Station (unlike some). The friendly driver promises to wait for her. These two are indeed hikers, as they carry the obligatory hiking poles and are wearing macs (they are going to need the latter today).
We’re soon on the move on the X.X departure (sorry, ten past ten). This bus is an Optare Solo of the shortest possible length. The internal roof panels are decorated with information about the various attractions along the route and there is non-obtrusive external branding.
The audible information is a little more detailed than normal here, with an acknowledgement that there are items of interest. We’re encouraged to follow the route on the available map (in the leaflet rack at the front), and even to ask the driver if we have any questions (hopefully not while the bus is moving)…
There are various walks from the AD122, but most of the recommended ones seem to be either “Difficult” or “Strenuous”. I need the short, easy ones!
Occasionally some particular landmarks are pointed out, including something that is reportedly “one of the most famous views in the region”. The picture below shows that view, but unfortunately I haven’t been able to work out exactly where it is!
ADDENDUM, March 2024: OK, I can now confirm that this was the World-Famous Sycamore Gap tree near Crag Lough. Located in a dramatic dip in the landscape, it was one of the most photographed trees in Britain, and featured in a prominent scene in the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, after which it also became known as "The Robin Hood Tree". It was illegally-felled in September 2023, in an appalling act of vandalism.
My two companions bale out at The Sill, a visitor centre that describes itself as the gateway to the Northumberland National Park, which sounds fair enough to me. It’s just the driver and me now. No-one else joins during the remainder of the journey. We arrive at Haltwhistle railway station on schedule at XI.III.
ABOVE: The Sill
It’s been a lovely ride, full of possibilities for days out exploring our Roman history, but such a shame that there aren’t more people using the AD122 to get around. The bus is soon driving through Haltwhistle on its return journey, with no passengers. Hopefully things improve in peak holiday periods.
I’m heading back to Hexham on the 1202 departure of route 685 (Cumbria to Newcastle), which is jointly run by Stagecoach and Arriva. This is a long route (a 59 mile drive by the direct road) and takes roughly two hours and 20 minutes from end-to-end.
ABOVE: Stagecoach 11157 (YX68 UXH), an Enviro400 MMC, on the long run from Newcastle to Carlisle on route 685. This is Market Place, Haltwhistle, on Wednesday 4th May 2022
Both operators are using a mixture of double- and single-deckers. I am lucky on this occasion to get a double-decker (Stagecoach) and a front seat, but it rains all through this 37-minute journey so the view is restricted. It’s the most direct route in this area and is well-patronised.
I would like to do the end-to-end journey on a double-decker one day, but how to guarantee one? Surely it is not beyond the control of the two operators to ensure a full double-deck allocation on what ought to be an important tourist route?
From Hexham I have a little time to pass before my next bus, so I take the opportunity to look at the bus station. There are toilets (open) and a waiting room. The latter has a tourist leaflet rack. This is well stocked but, disappointingly, does not include any bus timetables; not even for the AD122.
ABOVE: Hexham Bus Station, Wednesday 4th May 2022
There is no “Where to Board Your Bus” information, so one has to go round the stops, or resort to Traveline, to find the right one. There are several infrequent services here (see below), so one really needs this essential information.
Timetable information is displayed, but is rather tatty and is taped to the windows of the building rather than being displayed in a stop case. There are electronic stop displays showing the next departures, but the one for stop A is not working.
ABOVE: Timetable information for bus stop A at Hexham Bus Station, complete with torn display. The display is not at the bus stop itself, but stuck in the window of the waiting room just behind the bus stop. This is Thursday 5th May 2022
My next bus is something of a puzzle to me. The 689 to Consett only runs one through journey each way per day on weekdays – a morning one from Consett at 9am and a return journey from Hexham at 2pm. There is also a short round trip in the middle of the day from Hexham to the only significant intermediate point on the route, Slaley Hall; a hotel, spa and golf resort.
It’s hard to work out what the target market for a route like this is, apart from for those wanting to access Slaley Hall. A 9am departure from Consett is even too early for free Bus Pass holders who might want to make a day trip into Hexham, so who else will find this service of value?
There are six of us on the 2pm departure today, including a new driver who is riding shotgun while her mentor (that’s what it says on his hi-viz) drives this journey. We’re on narrow roads and heading through what feels like the middle of nowhere – miles and miles of glorious Northumbrian countryside, and very little else.
This is another Optare Solo – slightly longer than the one on the AD122 but with much poorer legroom; I’m spread across two seats. The branding on this bus intrudes onto the windows.
Don’t get me wrong – it’s a lovely drive through the countryside. The scenery is amazing and the rain that has been affecting the day has (temporarily) stopped.
ABOVE: Typical territory for the 689 bus. No idea where we are, but the time of the photo (1434) and a check of the timetable suggests that we should be somewhere near Whittonstall.
We reach Slaley Hall but no-one joins or leaves. The driver offers his mentee the chance to take over for the rest of the trip but she then agrees with him that she will handle their next trip instead (which won’t be on the 689, as this, the 2pm service, is both the first and the last bus).
Slaley Hall itself seems to be a modern, unremarkable brick building, but it turns out that only the modern wing is visible from the bus; there’s an Edwardian house hidden behind.
We pull into Consett on schedule at 2.55pm. The people who boarded in Hexham all leave here; there has been no intermediate passenger traffic of any kind.
ABOVE: Go North East 721 (KY63 VTL) has just arrived at Consett Bus Station on Wednesday 4th May 2022 after its cross-country drive on route 689 from Hexham. It will leave here on a schools service. The next 689 to Hexham will not leave for 18 hours or so!
The drivers head off to provide a school run, which should liven up their day a bit!
I’m none the wiser as to the benefits of this service. There are two full round trips, and one short, on Saturdays, which might make it appeal to a few more people on that day. Otherwise it’s a case of making a one-way trip on this route and doing the return trip on two buses.
ABOVE: By chance I photographed 721 earlier the same day in Hexham, showing the Tynedale branding used for the local Go North East services in the Hexham area
A few days later, I am in Consett, and nearly catch the 9am service back to Hexham. It’s 8.55am and the bus is on the stand. The driver is playing with his mobile phone and isn’t going to allow me to board until he’s done. “Just five minutes, mate”, he says. To emphasise this he closes the doors of the bus. I decide to go somewhere else.
Incidentally, the bus has ended up on the wrong stand at Consett. Hardly surprising given that there is an 0859 service scheduled to depart from the same stop. I suspect the 689 hardly ever leaves from the correct stop because of this. But will any passengers be around to notice?
ABOVE: The 0859 service on route 47A and the 0900 service on route 689 are unlikely to both fit on the same stop at Consett Bus Station! Taken on Monday 9th May 2022
The 689 will continue with its once-daily trips, and hopefully my grandfather clock will continue to chime in line with the 9am and 2pm departures for many years to come!